By Sherry Zhang
Senior year flew by so quickly. For the entire year, I barely stepped foot on campus, let alone in a classroom. My first semester was entirely dedicated to college applications; second semester, family and friends. Although I am excited to begin a new chapter of my life on the east coast in three months, I am heartbroken that I have to leave a lot of things behind in California. Everything just feels so sudden. So true bestie
Freshman year was full of joy for the most part. New school. New friends. New start. While I didn’t know many people at Westmont, I was excited to finally become a high schooler. It was probably thanks to all the classic movie cliches. Furthermore, to immerse myself into high school life, I joined many clubs and participated in many school activities. With confidence, I would describe my freshman year as sunny, youthful, and blissful.
Sophomore year was definitely a rough year, but luckily I pulled through. It was my first year in orchestra and my first year taking AP classes. Overconfident, I thought I could handle all the work; however, I was wrong. I struggled and carried stress everywhere I went. Overall, I would describe my sophomore year as a rain cloud. Everything just poured onto me and I wasn’t prepared for it.
The beginning of junior year was by far the best for me. I learned to manage my time wisely and had more opportunities to hang out with my friends. However, the happiness didn’t last long. Suddenly, the pandemic struck and I was stuck at home. All I could think everyday was, “COVID-19 is going to disappear before ____ right?” Days turned into weeks, weeks into months, and months into an entire year. Nearly all my plans were canceled or postponed. I couldn’t volunteer at science camp. I couldn’t go to prom. I couldn’t lead in my church’s summer bible camp. I couldn’t tour any colleges. Now, I am at the end of my high school journey and all I can think of now is, “Wow! What a ride!” In truth, there aren’t enough words to describe how crazy high school was for me. I am sincerely glad I was able to spend my four years at Westmont., but it is time I move on now. Hopefully, we will meet again someday.